A review by blewballoon
Summer in Orcus by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark lighthearted tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The author's note at the end says this book was a place to put a lot of ideas that hadn't fit into other books, and it was written as a serial originally. In some ways I liked this, I enjoyed the creativity in creatures and settings, but in another way I also wasn't in the mood for it I think. The writing reminded me of Tress of the Emerald Sea a bit, but I think the setting was less cohesive and Summer had a bit less agency than Tress which made it harder for me to stay engaged. I think that makes sense, since Summer is a 12 year old girl while Tress is a young woman, and they are inspired by different tales (Chronicles of Narnia and Princess Bride). Overall I still really enjoyed this, but I took a lot longer to finish it than I expected. I would definitely recommend this for middle grade readers and for adults who are in the mood for a whimsical, youthful fantasy that twists some tropes around. 
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